Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition

The United States is a federal republic with a decentralized system of education. Degree, diploma, and credit recognition are not performed or regulated by the federal government. Recognition is not usually done by state or local governments, either, except in the case of professional licensure. Instead, the federal government and other levels of government rely on, and recognize, the evaluations of foreign academic, professional, and vocational credentials performed by the delegated competent authorities at the institutional level and in the private sector.

Overview and Competent Authorities defines the legal competent authorities in the United States for various kinds of recognition.

National Council for the Recognition of Foreign Academic Credentials is the U.S. national body responsible for developing and publishing comparability statements designed to assist U.S. educators and credential evaluators in determining how international qualifications correspond to U.S. certificates, diplomas, and degrees at various educational levels.

U.S. Institutions and Programs provides directories of U.S. schools, colleges, universities, and other accredited educational providers who are the competent authorities for recognition and placement decisions having to do with admission to study in the United States.

Regulation of Professions provides information and links regarding qualifying and becoming licensed to practice regulated occupations, which is a state-level responsibility.

For purposes other than enrolling as a student or working in a regulated profession, the competent authority is the hiring employer.

Credential Evaluation Services

Not all U.S. institutions, employers, and licensing authorities perform evaluations of non-U.S. diplomas, credits, or qualifications. In many cases this work is delegated to private credential evaluation services and the resulting evaluations are recognized as valid.

If you are told that you need to have your academic or professional qualifications evaluated by someone other than the institution, employer, or licensing authority to which you are applying, there are several possible sources of information.

Search Engines such as Yahoo!, Alta Vista, Google, Excite, Lycos and others may be searched using the key phrase "credential evaluation" or "credential evaluation service." This will return a variety of services that maintain web sites.

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Office of International Education Services (AACRAO-OIES) is the national professional association for university registrars and admissions staffs. It provides credential evaluation services to institutions and individuals.

Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) is a California-based organization of credential evaluating services and consultants.

National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) is the principal national professional association representing private credential evaluation services. Its web site maintains direct links and contact information for all member services.

The U.S. government does not recommend or endorse any individual credential evaluation service or group of services, and does not conduct evaluations or make recognition decisions. The resource links provided here are solely for information purposes and to help in locating potential evaluators.

Neither USNEI nor the U.S. government serve as a channel of appeal for persons dissatisfied with evaluations done by competent authorities or their delegated credential evaluators. Please do not send documents or credentials to USNEI for evaluation.